Manchester City into FA Cup quarter-finals as Foden bares teeth in Bristol

Listen to Pep Guardiola enough and the Manchester City manager tends to mutter the same tune, reminding us that, for him, it is all about being there.

There in the Premier League title race, there in contention for a place in the Champions League quarter-finals and, now, in the last eight of the FA Cup. Here, in the West Country, Guardiola’s side had to do more than rely on muscle memory to earn victory but Phil Foden, a nerveless finisher, capped slick moves in either half before a magnificent strike by Kevin De Bruyne sealed passage into the next round.

The feverish atmosphere at kick-off as home supporters swirled their scarves overhead provided a snapshot of the kind of flavour the Bristol City manager Nigel Pearson was getting at when acknowledging how this club would take off if they realised their Premier League dream. For now, this type of test remains a rarity – and how a sold-out crowd was determined to relish the occasion, with a little help from the Wurzels. “We want to be playing this level of opposition every week,” said the Bristol City chairman, Jon Lansdown, son of longstanding owner, Steve.

Guardiola revealed his opposition scout advised him to expect an awkward evening and the manager finished his homework on the Championship side in the hours before the game, poring over clips on the flight south to Bristol. Guardiola alluded to the 12-match unbeaten run that has propelled Bristol City since Christmas and told how Pearson commands respect given his work at Leicester and Watford, and so the scene was set.

Guardiola made five changes from the comfortable win at Bournemouth, with De Bruyne, given a rest last weekend, returning to the starting lineup after illness, while Kalvin Phillips replaced Rodri at